I Just Want to Go Home
by CrimsonFlarez
Summary: After passing through the Anima, Erza expected herself to return to Magnolia. However instead, she ended up in a group of traveling merchants in a place she had never heard before. Deciding to conceal her real identity as a mage, Erza traveled along with the merchants, hoping to find the way home. However, unexpected things always happen... No pairings yet!
1. Chapter 1 - Left Alone

**Chapter 1 - Left Alone**

**A/N : So this is a random idea that popped up in my head and this is also my first crossover so go easy on me. Feel free to point out my mistakes, but please no flames! And now here's the story and I hope you like it... And please review!**

**Time Line : When Naruto just got back to Konoha from training with Jiraya. So like when the time around Garra got captured by the Akatsuki.**

**Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto or Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Erza stepped inside her small motel room, stretching her tensed and tired arms. Today's sale was wonderful and they made a lot of money. Her boss even let her keep some of the money. She slumped her back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Tommorrow morning, she'd be leaving Otafuku City and heading to Konoha, one of the 5 Great Shinobi Countries, or at least that was what she heard. Sen, the merchant's daughter and also her best friend said it was a wonderful place.

"I'll take you on a tour, Erza! Konoha has everything! From good food to weapons! There's even a hotspring there! And I'll definitely take you to Ichiraku Ramen!" Sen squeaked.

"Alright alright. We'll go there as soon as we arrive," Erza said, trying to calm her ecstatic friend. Soon, she was blabbering about places she'd take her, most of them she didn't recognize. Though, Erza kept listening, trying to remember some of the names.

It reminded her of... Home.

Erza frowned after remembering the guild back at Magnolia. It had been 6 months since the incident in Edolas. She had tried so hard to forget them. Yet, the memory always found a way to dwell in her mind. She missed everything. Natsu's and Gray's tauntings and insults. Lucy's whimpering. Elfman's speeches about being 'real men'. Heck, she even missed Oraceon Seis. She wondered how was the guild without her now. Did they miss her? Were they looking for her? Knowing Natsu and the others, they'd probably be tearing the place into two by now.

"Erza! What's wrong?" The statement snapped her out of her thoughts and turned to Sen who just got into the room. It turned out that Erza had been crying without her realizing. Again.

"I-It's nothing, Sen. I'm okay," Erza said, wiping the tears from her face. Sen stared at her with concern for a moment before shrugging it off. She gave her a weak smile.

"Are you sure? You know I'm always here when you need me," she said, sitting beside her. Erza smiled back.

"No really, I'm fine. I'm just tired that's all," Erza reasoned.

"Alright then. You should rest Erza. We have a long trip tomorrow," Sen said, patted her back and went to her bed.

"Yeah," Erza laid her back on the mattress. "Night, Sen,"

"Good night, Erza," Sen said and turned off the light.

'I need to sleep' Erza told herself, closing her eyes. 'Forget everything for now' She told herself again.

Little did she know, that time was running out.

* * *

Erza didn't know where she was going or how long had she been running. Her grip on the limp body in her arms tighten. _Don't die Sen, don't die! Not like this!_ She felt ward liquid dripping from the palm of her hands, tainting the green grass below her with red dots. Sen's blood. Erza's hastened her pace, crushing twigs and leafs under her feet. Her legs were starting to sore but she ignored it. Sen's life was more valuable than a one week cramp.

The cut on her chest wasn't big, but enough to kill. Kill a normal person at least. Unlike her, Sen had no experience in battles. Her untrained body wasn't strong enough to handle this kind of injuries yet. And pain became 10 times more painful.

The only thing that made Erza knew her friend wasn't dead was the small movement of her chest. Rising and falling slowly. Though, each breath became harder and shorter. At a time, Sen would wince in pain, sending waves of panic to Erza. Time was running out.

Once she spotted the giant gate to the village she screamed for help, attracting attentions from the citizens. 2 men who were guarding the entrance of the village quickly ran to her aid. One of them, the one with spiky black hair carried Sen's body while the other led them to the hospital.

Nurses acted quickly once they'd spotted Sen's body. They put her on a bed and ran her to the emergency room. Erza cried out Sen's name over and over again, crying. It was a few moment before she entered the emergenvy room did Sen opened one her bright blue eyes. They were not filled with pain, instead were filled with kindness? Erza froze that instantly. Completely ignoring the warm fresh tears that was causing her skin to feel damp and sticky, her eyes locked into hers.

"It's okay Erza. Everything will be alright."

* * *

Erza sat on one of the available seats in the waiting room patiently fidgeting with her fingers as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. For now. They were still coated in Sen's blood, dried of course. She refused to wash them off, even though the ninja guy told her to earlier.

_~Flashback~_

_The sun was shining high in the sky. It was a good thing the trees in the forest were tall and big. If not, Erza would be swimming in sweats right now. Erza walked back to the small camp from her little potty break. According to Sen, Konoha wasn't far and they should arrive there in half an hour or so._

_Her eyes widen when she heard a piercing scream coming from their camp. Before she knew it, she was already hot on her heels. In a few seconds she was already at her camp._

_It was a mess. The horses that were pulling the carriages were dead. The boxes were torn open and lying on the floor. The merchandise were scattered on the ground. And the one that caught her eyes were the dead bodies. She looked at each and one of them. Mr and Mrs Ira, Sen's little brother and also her uncles and aunts. All of them, dead. Erza realized one person was missing. Sen herself._

_Sen came out of the bushes with a man chasing her. He was carrying a weapon she recognized as a katana. Sen noticed Erza and stopped on her tracks._

_"Erza, get out-!" She never finished her sentence as the katana cut her chest. Sen's body fell on the ground in a loud thump as a pool of blood started forming beneath her._

_Erza was rooted to the ground and stare at Sen's body in horror. The man took this as a chance to attack Erza. He held up his katana in a battle stance and striked her. Erza pulled back in the last minute thanks to her fighting reflexes. However the tip of the blade did manage to graze her left cheek, leaving a thin gash on it._

_Erza dodged the next few strikes slower than usual. She hadn't been fighting for months._

_"Requip!" Instead of the normal red array, a puff of smoke covered her whole body. When the smoke cleared, she was already in her signature armor, a sword in her hands. Erza was confused at the odd reaction but chose to ingore it and striked the baffled man. He was down in one blow._

_Pathetic. Erza thought just as one of his friends appeared. He noticed the man's body lying on the ground and turned to Erza with pure anger. This time, he threw about half a dozen kunais at her. She deflected them easily and retaliated. The man pulled out a similar katana and their weapons clashed._

_"You're quiet skillful for a merchant," the man said._

_"I. Am. Not. A. Merchant," Erza said pushing the man further. "I am a Fairy Tail's wizard," and with that, she ended the man's life._

_~End of Flashback~_

_Bandits..._ She thought bitterly. They were easy opponents and sometimes annoying. But she didn't think they could actually hurt one of her dearest. She groaned and buried her face in her hands. She lost her home and now she nearly lost the only person she could call 'friend' in this realm. Everything's just going downhill.

The door of the emergency room creaked open, and Erza snapped back into reality. The nurse was a medium build woman with brown hair tied in a bun. A clipboard was firmly held in her arms. She looked at her sadly. Somehow, Erza felt she wasn't going to like the news.

"Ms. Scarlet?" She called.

"How is she?" Erza asked, standing up.

She hesitated before answering. "We did our best," the nurse said quietly. Erza froze and the world seemed to stop.

"We were too late. We're sorry," she said again.

She dropped to her knees as tears streamed down from her face. She was late. _'I couldn't save her. I don't deserve to be a Fairy Tail Wizard'._

* * *

She couldn't think straight anymore. She had lost everything. Her family, her home, her new friend. Everything. She refused to look at Sen's body. It was simply too painful. When the nurse asked her what to do with the body, since she was her only relative, she told her to she'd come back later for her body to be cremated.

Erza practically dragged herself out of the hospital, ignoring the stares she received from some people. She didn't realize she was still wearing her armor. It was already in the evening. Looks like she spent a while in the waiting room. The street was crowded of people, chattering, eating; all of them happy.

Erza felt useless for the first time in her life. She was a wizard. Heck, make that an S-Class Wizard. Her name was known all over town, and feared too. And now, the infamous Erza Scarlet failed to protect a girl from bandits.

_'It's okay Erza... Everything will be alright,'_ Sen's voice kept repeating in her mind like a mantra.

"I'm sorry, Sen... I'm sorry..." She whispered. She bowed her head to hide her face.

Erza felt her left shoulder bumped into a strong one, pulling out of her thoughts. "Sorry, I wasn't looking," she automatically said. She looked up to see a man with spiky gray hair. His face was covered behind a mask, revealing only his left eye. In his hand was a small book. It seemed he had been reading. Behind him were two other teenagers. A boy in a orange jumpsuit and a pink haired girl. They both were staring at her.

The man looked boredly at her. He shrugged and said , "It's okay."

Erza nodded and continued walking. She felt the man's eye watching her, but Erza ignored it. She wasn't really in the mood right now.

"Who is she?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know. I just came a few days ago. Maybe she's not from here?" Naruto said.

"I've never seen her before," Sakura said, still staring at the spot where the stranger was.

"Meh. Who cares. Maybe just some random tourist," As if on cue, his stomach growled. Naruto's mood suddenly brighten up. He turned to Sakura.

"Ah yeah! We haven't gone home or to Ichiraku Ramen yet!"

Sakura agreed with the idea quickly after remembering about her empty stomach. "Yeah, I'm a bit hungry after yesterday's training too," she added.

"Right! It'll be Sensei's treat!" Naruto said with a snicker.

"Alright, sensei!" Sakura said and turned to Kakashi, hoping he would agree too.

Hearing his name being called, he closed his book and shoved it into his pocket. His eye noticed his students were staring at him with an anticipating face. What were they talking about? Ah yes...ramen treat.

"Sorry, I have to create and submit a list of the new team formations. So it's goodbye for now," Kakashi said cheerfully and disappeared in a puff of smoke. His sudden disappearsnce made Naruto pout. His teacher just disappeared in times like this, always looking for a reason to leave. Same goes whenever they make an appointment. Always late.

"Saying something like that, he's just thinking to continue reading the book... Probably," Sakura said and let out an exasperate sigh.

Still sulking, an idea suddenly strucked to Naruto and he smiled sheepishly at Sakura. "So the two of us on our own now..." Naruto began, looking for the right words. "So... Is it a da-"

Sakura cut him off before finishing the sentence. She knew where this was going. "Fine, but it's all your treat!"

Naruto fished out his frog-purse from his pants' pocket and opened it. His spirit crumbled quickly at the sight. Definitely not enought for both of us... How was he going to treat Sakura like this? She'd kill him!

Sakura decided to ignore the grim look on her friend's face. She averted her attention back to the busy street of Konoha until something caught her eyes. Shikamaru and Temari, a ninja from the sand, were walking side by side. They hadn't spotted them yet so Sakura decided to call them.

Shikamaru's face split into a smile as he noticed Naruto standing behind her. Temari just stood there , baffled, while trying to recognize the two nins. Naruto grinned back at his friend, his money-problem long forgotten.

"So did you just come home then?" Shikamaru asked.

"No, I came back yesterday," Naruto replied.

Shikamaru chuckled slightly. "So, has you idiocy left you? And have you changed well?"

Naruto was about to open his mouth to speak but was cut off by Sakura. "No, he hasn't changed at all," she said, fanning her face with her hand.

"Ah really?"

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto said. He then turned to Shikamaru with a snicker and started to whisper something. Whatever it was, Shikamaru rejected it quickly. Yep, This would be a long long night.

After their little reunion, Naruto quickly headed to his most favorite place in the whole universe. Ichiraku Ramen. He had reluctantly parted from Sakura and the others, his stomach demanded so.

Just the thought of the ramen in front of him made him drool. He could smell it from a mile away already. It made him increase his pace. He spotted the familiar building and entered quickly. He sat on one of the stools there and greeted Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen. Teuchi put the bowls he was cleaning down and welcomed his most favorite customer. He smiled as he started their their first real conversation after years. Their chat was interrupted when another familiar figure stepped inside, making Naruto yelped happier.

"I knew I'd find you here," Iruka said, grinning. He took a seat next to Naruto. Naruto told him about his training. Once in a while, Teuchi would comment something and they all would end upnlaughing, They enjoyed the conversation until a woman stepped inside, silencing the 3 of them.

Naruto recognized her as the same woman who bumped into his sensei earlier that day. She sat down in the corner away from the 2 nins.

"Well hello there, young lady. What can I do for you today?" Teuchi said. The woman looked at him with solemn eyes which successfully replaced his smile.

"I'll have whatever you have," the woman replied quietly.

Teuchi tried to lighten the tension by offering her a warm smile. "Alright then. I'll make our best ramen we have!" Teuchi said as he disappeared into the kitchen.

Naruto had stopped eating his ramen and found himself staring at the woman. She wasn't wearing any hitai-ates, which meant she might not be a ninja. Though her attire; an armor which covered her upper body, a short navy blue skirt, along with knee-high black boots; told him that she was not the type of women who work in stores nor houses. He then noticed her scarlet red hair, a color not very common here.

She must've realized that he was staring at her because her eyes caught his, making Naruto turned back to his forgotten ramen. He blushed slightly but dismissed it quickly before Iruka could tease him.

Apparently, Iruka had been doing the same thing as Naruto did. He spoke to the stranger, trying to lighten up the tension.

"Hello there," Iruka said. It took a moment for the woman to realize that he was actually talking to her. She then stared at him, unsure to reply or not. Iruka started to feel nervous and scratched the back oh his neck. This was going to be an awkward conversation.

"I haven't seen you here before. Are you new here?"

"Yes, I suppose you could say that..." The woman replied.

"I see. You don't come from here, I take it?"

"I come from far away," She said and lowered her head. Iruka felt the tension grew again and started to feel the urge to get out of here quickly. But that would be rude. Very rude.

Teuchi came out from the kitchen holding a bowl and placed it in front of her. Naruto's ex-teacher silently sighed in relief as the tension broke. He then heard her muttera small 'Thank you' before eating the ramen, reminding him of his own.

Naruto,too, had somehow lost his apetite, though he kept eating his ramen. Teuchi would kill him if he leave a single string of noodle.

"You a tourist?" Teuchi asked.

"No. I'm-" She hesitated. "A merchant,"

"I see," Teuchi asked, rubbing his chin as if he was thinking something. "Say... You don't happen to be one of the Iras, do you?" Teuchi asked.

Erza blinked. Sen's last name was Ira. How did he know? Maybe he knew her? She looked up at the man. "You know them?"

"Tohiro Ira..." Teuchi said. "He came up in my shop one day. Said he was a traveling merchant. He was a nice man. He also had this cute daughter... Uh... What was her name? Sun? Sai? Ah yes! Sen!"

Erza winched slightly at the mention of the name. Her mind were reluctantly drawn back to the memories of Sen's body. Tears started to build up in the corner of her eyes before she regain composure.

"No, sorry. I'm not," Erza said. She was surprised to hear her voice oddly calm. She decided it would be best for him to not know about the incident yet.

Teuchi frowned in disappointment. "I heard they're heading here. I wonder where they are now. Oh well. They'll be here soon anyway," Teuchi chuckled slightly, completely oblivious to Erza's mood.

Erza finished her ramen quickly and paid Teuchi. She muttered another 'Thank you' and left as soon as possible.

She wouldn't be going there again. In fact she'd be leaving Konoha tommorrow morning. This place reminded her of Sen too much. If she stayed here too long she'd go crazy. She took one last glance at the small restaurant before disappearing into the dark streets of Konoha, back to the hospital.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review! I'll give you a cookie! :D**


	2. Chapter 2 - A New Friend

**Chapter 2 - A New Friend**

**Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto or Fairy Tail.**

* * *

_"Hey Erza..."_

_"Hmmm?"_

_"When I die, I want to be cremated," Sen said bluntly. Erza seemed startled by the conversation's topic as she turned her head to look at her in disbelief. _

_"Wh-why'd you say that?"_

_"I don't know..." Came the reply. "I just don't like the feelings when you visit people's graves... They just make us keep remembering... I don't really like the feeling!" Sen huffed like a 4-year old. Erza didn't know how to reply and kept staring at her. She didn't fully agree by her statement but she didn't want to argue either. We bury them and visit them because we respect them._

_"So when I die, I want you to cremate me, alright?"_

_"A-alright..."_

_"Promise?" She offered her pinkie to her, expecting her to do the same. _

_"Promise," Erza said with a smile as their pinkies linked together. _

* * *

Erza knew Sen liked the oceans. So here she was, at the river banks scattering the remaining ashes of Sen's body. She didn't know any nearby oceans, so at least the river would carry them to the sea at some point.

Last night, Erza went to a store to buy the coffin, which cost most of her money, and went straight to the cremating process. She didn't care about the law or specific rules of cremating anymore. The sooner it was, the better. The ashes were then put into a special urn that Erza bought. The brass-made urn was carved beautifully, with leafs pattern on it. Erza found it oddly cheap and decided to buy it before others could.

At dawn, Erza went back to the camp, ignoring the protest of her entire body. She buried the rest of Sen's family next to the river, which took a lot of time. She even managed to carve a small shrine for them before noon. After everything was done, Erza muttered her last prayer and apologies. Then she went back to the camp, hoping she could scavenge useful things for her journey.

A bag, a map, some of her clean clothes (well she does have lots of clothes, regarding her skill, but just in case) a water bottle, some matches, some money, and some of the merchandise for her to sell later.

The bodies of the bandits were still there and they were starting to rot. An awful stench had started emitting from them. She would need to leave soon before attracting attention. She just hoped whoever found this place, they would think it was just a normal assault.

She checked the map in her hands. She learned a bit when they were traveling with the merchants about the geography of this realm. A large land, colored in red was the one that caught her attention. She was there, in the fire country. Her finger unconsciously tapped the small black dot with the word **'Konoha**' printed under it. Her finger dragged a little bit to the west and stopped abruptly. She was roughly there.

There was a small village not far from there. Maybe she could get there before noon by foot. She glanced at the camp one last time before carefully folding it and stowed it into her bag. Now that she practically had no one else to hold her back in this realm, she only had one goal. Go back home.

* * *

Kakashi stopped abruptly from his tracks and gazed at the ground far beneath him. There was something odd with this particular area.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! What's with the hold up?" Naruto asked. He'd gone far ahead before noticing that his teacher had stopped.

"There's something down there," Kakashi said and jumped down before the others could protest. His two students and Temari followed him reluctantly.

"Whoa... What happened here?" Naruto asked examining his surroundings.

"Looks like an assault..." Sakura said. "Should we report this to Tsunade-sama?"

"We have no time to take care small matters like these," Temari said with an urgent tone. "We need to arrive at the Sand and rescue Gaara as soon as possible!"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean we should ignore this completely," Kakashi retorted calmly. He bit his finger, formed some hand seals and placed it on the grassy ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" There was a puff of smoke and a small figure appeared out of nowhere.

"Yo, what's up Kakashi?" Pakkun said, lifting his paw as a sign of hello.

"I need you to go back to konoha, Pakkun," Kakashi said, pointing to the scene behind him. Pakkun followed his summoner's finger and examined the scene.

"Let me guess... This has nothing to do with your current mission," Pakkun said, earning a nod from Kakashi. Some area was tainted with blood, while all kinds of goods were scattered on the ground. A carriage was forcedfully turned over and near it, laid two dead bodies. Pakkun wrinkled his nose as the stench reached his nose when suddenly, a small hint of scent grazed his nose. His nose twitched as he tried to recognize it. "Someone was here," Pakkun sniffed the air again. The scent was barely there, but Pakkun wouldn't let it escape. "About 2 hours ago... No, two and a half..."

Pakkun turned left and right and started following the scent. He stopped and pointed to a certain direction. "She went that way,"

"She?" Naruto asked. Pakkun nodded. "The smell's too good for men's."

Naruto stared at the dog skeptically before a sudden realization struck him. "Are you saying that I stink?!"

"Hmm? Well yeah," Pakkun said bluntly. Naruto gawked at the dog and turned to Kakashi who had the same expression, even though his face was mostly covered with his mask. Despite the tense situation, the girls managed to let out a small chuckle.

"You want me to track her down?" Pakkun asked as he turned to Kakashi.

"Can you catch up with her?" He asked back after quickly gaining his composure.

"Of course I can!" Pakkun said, feeling slightly insulted.

"Alright then. We need to go now. We've wasted enough time," Kakashi said.

"Right. See ya." Pakkun waited for the others to go first before tracking down the smell. He then turned to the direction where the stranger went. _I wonder what problem I'm gonna meet after this..._

* * *

_The scent's getting stronger... _He'd been following the scent for almost an hour now and according to the path, the woman's heading to an un-named small village.

Pakkun spotted the entrance and fastened his pace. Some of the villagers stared at the ninken oddly but didn't try to disturb him. They were too busy doing their own errands.

She's in one of the crowds... His eyes averted here and there while his nose kept track of the scent. His gaze stopped on a peculiar red haired woman. He approched her cautiously and was soon trailing behind her. _Now what do I do?_ He fumed. _She might run away if I ask her. And since there are no other shinobi here, I wouldn't be able to fight her..._

After a few moments of debating with himself, Pakkun decided to follow her until... well until he thought of something else. The woman kept strolling, mutely telling him that she hadn't noticed his existence.

The rest of the day was filled with her doing some errands, buying food, clothing, etc. Pakkun started to doubt whether she was the one who did the assault, but he kept following her. Good villains always blend in, looking innocent like any other civilians, but deep down planning murder, robbery, assault, and more.

The woman finally settled in a motel. Pakkun then made a clone of himself using his hair. Pakkun told the clone to report their location as well as the camp in the forest. He watched as his clone sprinted out of the motel. Glancing at the now deserted hallway and decided to wait behind a small plant pot. He just hoped the staffs wouldn't find him and kick him out.

* * *

"Hmmm? An assault?" Tsunade asked, not even bothering to look up from her paperwork.

"Kakashi and his team found it when they were doing a mission," The clone said.

"I know I know. And what about the woman you found?"

"She hasn't done anything suspicious. Just doing some normal errands," The clone said.

"Very well. Keep an eye on her while we try to investigate it. If she does anything odd, you know what to do," Tsunade said.

"Yes," The clone said briskly and dashed out of the room. Tsunade finally looked up at the pile of paperwork she'd been trying to avoid and glared at it. Looks like she wouldn't be sleeping soon.

She placed the finished report on a pile. Sighing, she took another report from the other pile. Sometimes she just hated her job and wondered why she accepted it in the first place. Oh yeah, Jiraiya insisted.

Permission to build... Scribble scribble...

Preparation for the Chunin Exam... Scribble scribble...

If you want to marry Jiraya sign here... Scribble scribb— Wait what!?

If you want to marry Jiraiya sign here,

X_.

A vein popped on Tsunade's forehead as the paper crumpled in her grip. "SHIZUNE!"

* * *

Pakkun nodded at the clone's explanation as it disappeared in a puff of smoke. It was 9 o'clock already and the woman had gone to sleep...probably. Earlier that evening, he'd followed the woman out of the motel to eat dinner. Then took a small tour around the village and went back to the motel, still completely oblivious of his existence.

He looked at the door of the woman's room tiredly before stretching his tensed muscles. He was tired, and he hadn't eaten too. He couldn't just leave his mission no matter how much he protested, and that condition sucked. Trying to keep himself entertained, he wondered how Kakashi was doing right now. He just hoped he wasn't having the same problem as him.

Suddenly, a rather loud yawn escaped from his mouth. Resting his head on the cold hard floor, he thought, Oh well... I guess a little nap wouldn't be a bother...

~The next morning~

Pakkun woke up the next morning after hearing someone shouting. He groaned and opened his eyes reluctantly, only to find one of the staffs glaring at him. Oh boy... Looks like my cover was blown...

The staff glared at him in disgust and picked him up in an uncomfortable position. "Hey! Put me down!" Pakkun barked, startling the man, probably shocked at talking dogs. What is it with people and ninkens?!

The man gained his composure back quickly and continued glaring at him. "Pests like you aren't allowed to be here!" He said. Pakkun made an attempt to bite him but was futile since he kept a good distance from him.

"I'm a ninken! On a mission!" Pakkun growled, trying to convince the man but he ignored him. He hated it whenever people treated him as a dog... Well not a dog 'dog' since he is a dog. What he meant was being treated like an animal.

The staff was about to throw him out when a voice stopped him. He could feel the staff tensed, suddenky became nervous. Slowly and nervously, he turned to the stranger,

"Excuse me, but what are you doing to my dog?" The woman asked. Pakkun recognized her as the same woman who he had been following. Busted..

The man stuttered a few 'Uh an uhmms' while Pakkun was staring at her. Something then clicked inside his head. Did she just call him her dog? As in, her pet?!

"My apologies, Miss. I had no idea that it was yours," He said. Pakkun rolled his eyes.

"Well then, you should give him back to me," the woman said as a dangerous dark aura emitted from her. The man quickly put him down and Pakkun dashed to his said owner.

"I'm sorry for taking your dog, Miss, but we have a strict rule here stating that pets aren't allowed to be inside the building," He said, trying to put the sweetest smile, only to get a cold glare in return.

"It's no problem. I'm checking out now anyway," The woman replied dryly. It was then Pakkun noticed the backpack she was carrying.

"I see. I shall take care of the forms for you. I will wait in the lobby for you," he said and disappeared quicker than expected.

"My owner, eh?" Pakkun said sarcastically. The woman looked at him from the corner of her eyes.

"You should at least thank me for saving your dignity," She said. Pakkun snorted. He then turned to look at the woman.

"You knew," Pakkun said, his tone suddenly changed.

"If you are talking about you following me from yesterday noon, then yes I knew," the woman replied as she walked to the lobby with Pakkun trailing beside her.

"You didn't escape?" Pakkun asked.

"Why should I? I'm not a fugitive," The woman stated simply.

"Not yet..." Pakkun grumbled quietly. Well now that she found me, there's no point lying to her...

"Well then, you know why I'm here. Start talking, lady." Pakkun said.

She took a deep breath and spoke. "I didn't do it. I didn't attack them. Bandits did,"

"Then those two bodies belong to the bandits, I take it?" She nodded. "Alright then where are the owner of the merchandise then?" The woman's expression turned grim the moment he finished the sentence. At first she glared at him, then she was about to burst into tears, then she stared at the floor.

"Th-they died. The bandits killed them. I wasn't there when they did it," The woman said quietly. Pakkun knew this was that emotional moment, but he had to know. He needed to complete his mission.

"And where were you not there?"

The woman stared at him for a moment, scanning his face. Was she tryinf to lie? Finally after a moment of silence, she replied, "Personal break,"

Pakkun opened his mouth again but closed it again as he caught the meaning of it. Such a simple thing could cause a great consequences. He thought bitterly.

Dimissing his thoughts, Pakkun spoke again, "Your connection with the victims?"

"I was also a merchant. I traveled with them,"

"Where are the bodies then?"

"One of them died in the hospital. I had her cremated. I buried the rest. You can find there graves by a river near the camp," she told him.

Pakkun found no hint of her lying, but that doesn't mean he should trust her completely.

"I believe you've learned enough," She said and walked away. Pakkun followed him to play the role of her 'pet' as they arrived at the lobby. The same man who grabbed her was there, standing in the lobby, watching them from the corner of his eyes. He didn't dare to look at them directly and Pakkun felt somewhat satisfied.

The woman returned the room key and filled some forms. After she paid, they left the building quickly, into the busy streets. The woman must have expected him to leave her alone, but he didn't. So she spoke again.

"Shouldn't you report to your superior?" She asked.

"I will..." Pakkun's words trailed off. "You ain't gonna run away, right lady?" Pakkun asked, dropping the topic.

"Like I said. I am not a fugitive," She stated. There was a long uncomfortable silence, excluding the sound of other people chatting of course. Feeling the obligatin to be friendly, he introduced himself. "My name's Pakkun, a ninken. What's yours, lady?"

"It's—" She hesitated. 'Is it okay to tell him my name? I barely know him... But he'll get suspicious...' She debated with herself for awhile while the dog patiently waited. She finally decided that it should be fine by telling just her first name. "It's Erza," She replied.

"Erza... That's an odd name. Never heard of it before." Pakkun said, probably trying to recall if he had ever met someone with the same name.

"It is an uncommon name," _Here_. She mentally added.

"So, what hidden village are you from?" Pakkun asked. Erza frowned at the question. Answering Magnolia was definitely out of the question. So instead she used the country where Sen came from.

"From the River Country,"

"I see..."

Pakkun started throwing more questions about herself. Like, are you a kunoichi? Then, how did you fight those bandits if you're not? What's the name of your clan? Of course, Erza didn't give any necessary information or just avoided them. It was Erza's turn to ask about Pakkun and he gladly answered them since most of them were general questions.

The fact that someone summoned him was interesting to Erza. It reminded her a lot of Lucy. She also asked about ninjas and jutsus, which Pakkun answered with much more detail. It was about time she learned more about this world anyways.

The growling of her stomach interrupted the conversation. She then realized she hadn't had breakfast yet and it was almost noon. Erza found a foodstall, selling chicken karaage. She bought some and decided to eat while walking.

"Eh? We can't even eat in a restaurant?"Pakkun asked.

"No, sorry. Our little chat made me lose track of time," Erza replied as she shoved one of the karaages into her mouth.

"Where are we going anyway?" Pakkun asked. "Oh and can I have some of those too? I haven't eaten anything since yesterday," He said grinning sheepishly. Erza gave some to him, which he ate gratefully.

"We?" She asked.

"Well I can't leave you alone, can I?" Erza stared at him for awhile before nodding. She looked up at the clear sky above her, the wind blowing her red hair gently.

"To the River country."

* * *

**A/N : Okay that's all for the second chapter! Forgive me if I make any mistakes! Especially about clones... I really don't know how they work... And thank you for all of you who reviewed, faved of followed my story! I really appreciate it!**

**To BOBOBOBO : Since you're a guest, I can't thank you personally so here I am! Again, Thank you for reviewing! I really appreciate it! And no, I'm not pairing Erza with Naruto. I hope this will make you happy? And yes, I will definitely continue writing this story! Thanks!**

**Don't forget to review this one! Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Changes

**Chapter 3 - Changes**

**Disclaimer : I don't own Fairy Tail or Naruto**

* * *

Erza stared at the campfire she had made. It crackled as it consumed the logs under it, the only thing keeping it alive. Once in awhile, she would warm her hands and hoped the warmth would put her to sleep. But it didn't. She was still wide awake.

Earlier that night, she had a nightmare, where a bloody Sen would be calling her name, accusing her of her death. And Erza would scream, saying she was sorry over and over again until Her throat felt dry and woke up drenched in sweat, panting.

She had had the same dream twice now, one from yesterday night. If this keeps on, she'll lose her sanity in no time. She expected the nightmare but she clearly didn't expect Simon's appearance. Maybe their death are connected somehow? Erza sighed. She had to get over it soon, no matter how hard it was. People come and leave. That's how life works, and no one can change it.

Erza turned to the small brown pug, who was sleeping peacefully across her. He seemed to enjoy his sleep, and Erza felt somewhat jealous. Despite being a ninken who saw death more often then her, he could sleep peacefully. While Erza... There was barely a handful of them, and she already had trouble sleeping.

Erza sighed and dimissed the thought. She grabbed her bag and rummaged it, hopping something would occupy her mind. So she took out her map and studied it carefully,

According to Pakkun, they were halfway there. He estimated that they would arrive there somewhere in the afternoon if there are no intteruptions. She out the mal back into her back and looked up at the sky, which was mostly blocked by the trees. Her eyes widened when she saw a shooting star. Erza never believed in omens or myths, but something deep down urged her to do it. She closed her eyes and whispered to herself.

_I wish... I wish I can go home. _

* * *

The sunlight glared at Pakkun, waking him up. He grudgingly stood up and stretched his legs before letting a rather loud yawn. 'Another day...'

His thought was interrupted as he heard rustling coming from one of the bushes. He tensed and he sniffed the air, trying to recognize the scent of the figure. Pakkun relaxed as he recognized the scent, his own scent. The clone stepped out of the bushes. Pakkun looked at the sleeping figure first before gesturing thr clone to a nearby tree.

"I've told Hokage-sama about her," the clone said once they were behind the tree.

"And?"

"The merchants that died were the Ira Clan from the River country. Turns out the Hokage-sama knows them since they've ever bargain some stuffs once," Pakkun nodded, telling the clone to continue.

"But the weird thing is, that lady over there isn't from the Ira Clan. The hokage said that she knew them well and didn't remember anyone with the name Erza," the clone said.

"They might have never mentioned her to the hokage," Pakkun said and his clone nodded.

"But there's a possibility she's a spy,"

"So I still gotta follow her around?" Pakkun asked, earning a nod from his clone.

"Any other thing I should know?"

"Oh yeah. She said she'd try to send a team to replace you. But I doubt it. She's stressed out alright, especially after the Kazekage got kidnapped. Also, try to find out more about her as much as you can."

"Yeah yeah. I got it," Pakkun said. "Good luck," The clone smiled at him before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Pakkun sighed and returned to the camp shortly. He looked at Erza who was still sleeping peacefully.

Pakkun decided to wait for Erza to wake up. The trek yesterday was tiring after all. He noticed the bag that she carried and stared at it. It wouldn't hurt to peek a little, right?

Carefully, Pakkun opened the bag. It was harder for him since he didn't have any fingers, but he managed. The bag was a little bit bigger than him so he had to stand up to see. _Nothing unusual..._ Pakkun thought as he inspected each item inside. _Looks like what a normal traveler to bring. Not even a single weapon._ He was hoping to catch her red-handed so that the mission would be finished quickly. But no. Looks like this mission wasn't as simple as he thought. He closed the bag quickly before the owner could wake up.

The dog turned to the sleeping red haired, a smirk slowly formed on his face. He approached her cautiosly until he was right next to her, opened his mouth and barked at her with all his might. Erza jumped and hit her head on the lowest branch, which happened to be right above her head.

"Why'd you do that for, Pakkun?" Erza said. She rubbed her head, trying to ease the pain. Pakkun gave her a toothy grin, revealing a perfect set of fangs. "To wake you up," he stated simply. Erza scoffed.

Erza hastily packed her things after she remembered the purpose of her going here. Once she was ready, she continued the trek with Pakkun. The dog led the way of course, since he knew the place better.

"Hey lady..."

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. Go ahead."

"That time in the motel," Pakkun began. "Why didn't you let me get kicked out? I mean... You know I was sent to get you. A normal person would be glad if someone had gotten rid of me."

"You... Reminded me of a certain friend," Erza said after a long silence.

"Oh? So he's a ninken too?"

"Er... Not really... He's a cat... But he can fly—" Pakkun halted in his tracks, Erza nearly stumbled on him. He turned around to look at the confused girl behind him.

"Fly? Like a bird?" Pakkun asked in disbelief.

"Uh... Yes?" Erza said, though it came out more like a question instead of a statement. Pakkun pondered about this new... Information. A flying cat? Well now that's something new.

"Can I meet the cat-friend of yours?" Pakkun asked. "Wouldn't it be great if he can be summoned and assist shinobis?"

"True..." Erza said after much consideration. "Although I don't think the owner would let his cat gets borrowed. Besides... I haven't seen them for a long time..." Erza said the last sentence quietly. Pakkun stared at her disappointedly before continuing the trek in silence.

I haven't seen the for a long time... Erza gritted her teeth as memories flooded back, memories she wanted to forget for now. Her, breaking Gray's and Natsu's daily fight... Her slicing bad guys with her team... Her, eating a strawbery cake in the guild and punishing whoever touch it. And mostly, she missed the presence of every single person in the guild.

She clenched her fists as she pushed the thoughts down. She had to go home. She had to, and she would.

* * *

It was almost noon. They had just passed the border between the Fire country and the River Country an hour ago and now heading to the nearest village or town to stay for the night.

Erza tried her best not to look amazed ; she was supposed to be from here ; as she surveyed her surroundings.

River country, just like its name, had a lot of rivers. Long ones, short ones, wide ones, narrow ones, deep ones, shallow ones; everything. Most of them are clear and free from and rocks of all sizes and kinds decorated the sides of the rivers, making them look more beautiful. The trek itself became enjoyable and the sore muscles were ignored.

"We're here..." Pakkun said as he slowed down his pace. Erza didn't hear him, instead stared at the village in fromt of her in awe. 'Floating City' was the name, and just like its name, the town is floating. Buildings of all kinds were merely supported by wooden platforms and poles, yet the activities here went normal without any fear of falling into the water. Small canoes and boats were used as transportations or even to open small shops.

"We can arrive at— what was the name of that place again?"

"Kyoma Village," Erza said automatically, not bothering to pay heed to the dog.

"Right that place. It's not far from here and we can get there in an hour or two. We should rest here a bit," Pakkun said. Erza dumbly nodded. She stared at the village and observed it quietly ; the building structures, the people, the clear water... Her gaze stopped on a rather large building and recognized it as a restaurant. Erza knew if was the perfect place for lunch.

The inside looked much bigger than the outside. Walls were decorated by nets and pictures of fishes. Fishing hook were hung on the ceiling, making the place looked more like a pirate ship instead of a restaurant.

Erza chose a seat at the far corner. A small wooden square table with 2 stools by its sides. She ordered a 2 bowls of rice with shrimps,fishes, and also some water. Seafood was the restaurant's expertise after all.

The food arrived shortly and Erza ate quietly, while Pakkun just gobbled the food with its mouth. It was odd for Erza. She was having lunch with a dog. Some people stared at them, some even chuckled at the odd sight.

"Look mommy! There's a cute little dog eating there!" The boy said cheerfully pointing his finger to Pakkun. Pakkun, who was the only dog there, quickly understood that the boy was addressing him. tried his best to ignore the boy. Unfortunately for him, the boy approached him, dragging his mother too. The boy observed him quietly and his mother decided to start a friendly conversation with Erza.

"He's very cute," she said. Pakkun shifted quietly in his seat.

Apparently, they thought Pakkun was her dog. A small smirk appeared on her face as she decided to play along. "I've had him since I was a child. He's very kind and friendly with children." Pakkun snorted quietly. The boy pulled his mother hand, gaining her attention.

"Can I pet him, mom?" He asked, glimmer in his eyes. His mother looked at Erza, asking for permission and Erza nodded. Pakkun glared at her before bowing his head so that the boy's small hand could reach him. The boy ruffled his short brown fur. Usually he'd be find if it was Kakashi who did it, but if it was a stranger...

"Wow, his fur is really soft..."

"Of course! I shower with Minty Rain Forest Shampoo with extra bodywash at least twice a week!" Pakkun said. The boy was surprised and pulled his hand quickly.

"Mommy, it talks!" The boy chirmed. His mother giggled and turned to Erza. "He must be a ninken then," she said. Erza nodded.

"We rarely see a shinobi here, let alone a ninken," His mother said. "Nothing much happen in this village," She continued and looked at her son who was now touching Pakkun's pink paw. His mother then looked at Erza, a grim look on her face. Erza was sligthly startled by the woman's change of demeanor.

"Have you heard of the demon that lives here?" Her voice was barely a whisper. Erza blinked and shook her head. The topic quickly gained her interest and her full attention was on the woman. She took an empty stool, pulled it to Erza's table, and sat down.

"It started a few months ago when one of the villagers went missing. We all thought he was just wandering off. But the next day, some of the fishermen found his arm. Only," the woman looked disgusted by the last 3 words but continued her story. "Since then, the number of people dying has increased drastically and I'm concern that this village will be destroyed soon by that horrible beast," She said and glanced at her son.

Erza caught immediately that the woman was deeply concern for her son's safety. Even more than herself.

"Why not leave the village then?" Erza asked.

"Sadly, it's not that easy to get people to leave. This river, especially in this area, provides homes for all kinds of animals and plants. Some people care about money more than peoplethese days," She said. Erza silently agreed. People may work hard to gain money so that they can live. But some people just went overboard. They stopped caring for theor families and loved ones, instead work to satisfy their greed.

"This... Demon... What does it look like?"

The woman shrugged. "I have no idea myself," she replied. "No one has actually ever seen it. Though some people managed to take a glimpse of it. They say it looks somewhat like a giant fish with fangs. Some said it looks like a giant tiger," She said. Erza drank her water first before turning back her attention to the woman.

"I suggest you not go near the water too often. Especially at night," She deadpanned. Erza nodded. "You're new here, so I might as well warn you. Another dead body is the last thing we need," She said and looked back to her son, a smile on her face.

"It's time to go, Haku!" She said. Haku looked at her disappointedly. "But I just got to play with Pakkun!" The boy huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Come on... Father will be home soon. You don't want to keep him waiting, do you?" Haku seemed to consider this for a moment. "I'll make you your favorite sushi!" She added. Hearing this, Haku smiled and went to his mother. The woman flashed her a smile before leaving them alone again.

Erza turned to Pakkun with a smug smile. The dog was leaning on the table, as if he just lost his will. "I'm very friendly with children, huh..." He muttered. Then he jumped down to the floor and Erza followed him. They left the restaurant shortly after Erza paid the bill.

They toured around the village, and Erza decided that it was a fascinating place indeed. It was somewhere in the afternoon when Pakkun said he was needed in another place and he'd said that he would send another ninken to replace him for the time being.

Pakkun disappeared in a puff of smoke, and another figure took his place. Once the smoke disappeared, Erza found herself another dog, grinning at her.

"Hey there. The name's Bisuke!"

* * *

Bisuke... Was more talkative than Pakkun. That Erza knew. Every few minnutes he would start a conversation. And since they've just met, most questions were about her.

However, Erza didn't feel the slightest of annoyance. In fact, she enjoyed answering his questions. Somehow it made her feel much better, as if some of her burden had been lifted. Maybe all she needed was some friends.

The sun was setting and Pakkun hadn't come back. Bisuke told her he was on an important mission and he might not be able to come back for days. So Erza decided to stay there and waited until he come back. Besides, she had grown rather fond of the village.

Bisuke liked Erza. He liked her very much. She was friendly and very polite. He didn't understand the purpose of his mission actually. She couldn't have been a spy, he just knew. But of course, he had to do the mission whether he liked it or not. On the bright side, he could spend more time with her.

Erza's eyes glimmered when she saw a store selling armors and weapons. One of the things Erza liked beside cakes... armors and swords. She was about to enter the store when she remembered that Bisuke was with her. Surely he would be suspicious if she went there. Earlier that day she had told him that she wasn't a shinobi. Why would a a civilian buy weapons?

Erza stared at the store for a moment before reluctantly turn away. It was then when she heard a piercing scream. Her eyes widen in shock and tried to located the source. She ran pass Bisuke who was busy watching who knows what and noticed a crowd of people gathering at the edge the docks. An image of Sen screaming passed her mind and it made her panic. _No_... she wouldn't let anyone get hurt tonight, not on her watch.

She pushed through the crowd until she could get a look of what was happening. There, in the middle of the water, was a small canoe with a crying boy on it. Erza's eyes widen as she recognized the boy...Haku.

His mother was screaming his name over an over again. She was about to use another canoe and rescued him herself when she caught something moving in the water fromthe corner of her eyes. Erza narrowed her eyes and focused. It was dark to see but she caught a glimpse of a fin... A very big fin. And it was moving to Haku's direction in a very high speed.

"Have you heard of the demon that lives here?" The woman's voice echoed in her head.

_No... No no no no... _She looked at the small canoe. She wouldn't be able to reach there on time. And then it hit her. She might make it in time if she used her armors, but it would mean exposing her true identity... Erza turned to Haku's mother who was now crying. Some people around her were trying to calm her down.

She looked at Haku, her fists clenched tightly.

_It's a risk I have to take. _

* * *

Bisuke looked around. Erza wasn't there. Where was she then? Did she escape? He breathed the air and found Erza's scent. He quickly followed it and ended up in a crowd of people screaming. Wondering what was happening, he pushed through the crowd.

Bisuke couldn't believe the scene he was seeing. Erza... Was flying?

Something inside him clicked. She was running away! So she was a spy! Bisuke felt anger boiled inside him. He trusted her and she betrayed him! He resisted the urge to bite her down and kept glaring at the figure.

Erza knew she couldn't walk on water, unlike other shinobi. The canoe was too slow and there was no other people she could turn help to. And so, here she was in her Black Wing armor trying to reach Haku before the demon could.

The gravity was pulling her down and Erza was almost there. The demon was close enought for her sword to reach it and time seemed to slow down. Her foot almost touched the water when she cut the demon's fin, sending an immense pain to it. She then used the demon's body for her to jump on before it dived. She landed gracefully on the canoe, right next to Haku. People who had been watching the whole scene from the docks gasped and cheered for her.

Bisuke's eyes widened as she realized what was Erza doing. He hadn't seen the boy on the boat... And the monster coming. He felt somewhat guilty for accusing her, even though he hadn't told her. He mentally scolded himself for jumping into conclusions too quickly. Bisuke watched the scene with his eyes and joined cheering for her.

"Are you alright?" Erza asked, kneeling so that she's in the same level as Haku. The boy nodded. His eyes were red. So he had been crying.

"Can you row back to the dock by yourself? I'll keep it busy," Erza said.

"I-I'll tr-try..." He said. Then he grabbed the paddles and prepared to row.

"On my cue," Erza said and turned to face the water again. Her keen eyes and ears trying to sense the demon.

The demon slowly surfaced and Erza could see most of it. It was intimidating and Erza nearly stumbled back.

It was not a fish. It wasn' a tiger. It was both.

* * *

**A/N : Alright that's all for the 3 chapter! So I guess you know what the 4th chapter will be about. **

**About the demon... I got the inspiration from a movie called Journey to The West. It's about a guy who kills demons. One of them takes a form as a half fish half lion thingy. So you can search the picture in the internet.**

**Review Replies : **

**To BOBOBOBO : Thanks a lot! I don't use ErzaxNaruto pairing since it is overused and I don't really like it. Most reviewers also hoped that this isn't. So here you go! And thanks for reviewing! **

**To GummyBears : No ErzaxNaruto fic! Just like the way you like it! Wkwkwk. And I'll try to update at least once a week, but I don't know how often I'll update when school starts. I just hope I still have time to write the next chapters... Anyway, thanks for reviewing!**

**And I thank every single one of you who reviewed, followed, and favorite. I love you guys! A lot! **

**That's all I guess! And don't forget to review this chapter! Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Erza vs Demon

**Chapter 4 - Erza vs Demon**

**Disclaimer : I own nothing.**

* * *

Bisuke was confused. Very confused. A moment ago, he was cheering with the crowd, but now, he was staring at the woman in armor with a blank face. A horrible feeling started to build inside him.

Earlier that day, Erza said she was not a kunoichi, but now, she was acting like one. He could judge by how she hold her sword, that those hands were the hands of a professional swordsman. A normal civilian would've cowered and ran away at the sight of that monster, but she was still there instead, preparing to defend herself and the boy. It was like an everyday thing.

The two were now engaged in a staring contest. The female, studying the creature in front of her and trying to find its weaknesses, while the demon wondering who the hell just disturbed its meal.

Bisuke could only sit down and watch the two fight, while debating with himself whether Erza was an enemy or not. It was clear that she was hiding something big. Yep, this was gonna be a long hard debate.

* * *

It's eyes flashed dangerously at Erza, obviously angry at whoever interrupted its meal.

Haku cowered behind Erza, his body trembling in fear. The sight of the demon just multiplied his fear. Erza placed a hand on his small shoulder and told him that everyhting would be fine.

Erza turned back to the demon, observing it. It looked like a giant fish, with a tiger snout. Its scales were somewhat orange with black stripes. Judging from its mouth, it could swallow them whole without any difficulties.

Erza tensed as the demon's eyes settled on them. She gripped her sword tighter and prepared for incoming attacks. At first, the demon just stared at them, before opening its mouth, revealing a set of giant fangs that would've sent anyone running away. Erza expected to see thorns or maybe toxic coming out. Oh, but she was wrong. Instead, a long pinkish substance shot out. Erza raised her sword, preparing to block it, but it never came.

The substance wrapped itself on the edge of the boat like a rope. Erza silently cursed her stupidity for not realizing that it was the demon's tongue.

The boat moved slowly at first, but it gained speed by every wasted second. Erza was about to cut the tongue when a better idea popped up in her mind. She took this moment to do some calculations in her head. The tongue seemed strong enough to support her weight, and even if it wasn't, she could easily fly with her armor. The distance wasn't that far anyway.

The ship was about 30 feet away when Erza jumped and used the tongue as a small, narrow bridge. Erza ran at full speed, a little bit unbalanced, but still fast. The tongue felt sticky under her feet and she was grateful her armor was covering them.

The demon, after it realized what she was about to do, quickly withdrew its tongue. Erza smirked and jumped, cutting the tongue at the same time. The demon whimpered in pain, as the now cut-tongue fell into the water in a huge splash.

Erza charged from the air, her eyes locked on the demon's body. She held her sword in fromt of her and gathered her magic (chakra) to use one of her deadly moves, Moon Flash. One strike, just one strike and this would be over. Erza couldn't help but smirk. She could taste her victory already.

However, her celebration didn't last long as the demon's body twitched. The Titania narrowed her eyes in suspicion and observed. _What's it planning to do?_

The fin that Erza cut earlier grew into solid, sharp bones... And she was going to crash on it! She couldn't change her direction in the air and she was too close. The thorns kept growing and Erza did the only thing possible, which was blocking them with her sword. There was a sound of something clashing with metal as Erza blocked it in time. The thorns kept growing and the force sent her crashing into the water.

* * *

Bisuke knew something was wrong when Erza didn't surface. He saw the demon dive a moment later and he hadn't seen both of them since then.

_This is bad..._Bisuke thought grimly._What if... What if she was...?_ Bisuke shook his head and dismissed the thought quickly. He focused his chakra into his feet and leapt in the air. He ran as fast as he could to the spot where he last saw them, his distrust towards her disappeared.

He scanned the water for any sign of her: Bubbles, ripples, anything!

It was then when Bisuke felt something under his feet, something big... He backed away just in time as the demon jumped in the air with... Bisuke's eyes widened. Erza's sword was stuck between the demon's jaws and she was hanging on it. He could see blood dripping from her hands due to the pressure of the tip of the sword on her palms for too long. The bat-like wings that were attached to her armor were crumpled. Bruises and cuts decorated her skin.

"Bisuke!" Erza called. "Get Haku out of he—" The demon wouldn't let her finish her sentence, as it dove again, dragging Erza with it.

"R-roger!" Bisuke said, even though he knew she wouldn't be able to hear him. He turned around and ran to the small wooden boat.

He couldn't help but glance back every few seconds, hoping to see Erza wave at him and say,"I'm okay!" But no. She just had to take care of the troublesome demon, risking her life.

Bisuke jumped onto the boat and tugged the boy's sleeve to get his attention. He hesitantly looked up at the dog.

"Hey kid! C'mon, let's go!"

Haku slowly nodded and grabbed one of the pedals while Bisuke grabbed the other with his mouth. _I've never rowed a boat before... Oh well._

* * *

Erza jumped out of the water, and glared at the water, or more precisely, the demon. She barely made out of its mouth, and now she had a lot of cuts and bruises all over her body. This was getting personal. First, its appearance interrupted her tour around the village. Second, it tried to eat her alive. Third, it ruined her armor and now she smelled like fish-breath. It was time to end this fight.

Smoke covered her whole body and once it cleared, she was already in her Sea Empress Armor, her crystal sword in her right hand. She really had to figure out what was wrong with her Requip magic once this was all over.

She swung her sword and shot out a sickle-like beam of water. The beam cut through water like cutting through paper, making the river looked like it just split into two. Villagers gaped in awe at the scene and cheered louder. The beam made a clean hit and the demon was thrown away, sending mini-tsunamis in every direction. One of them, unfortunately, hit the boat and sent it further from the village. Haku screamed and gave Bisuke a deathly hug.

The demon retaliated by shoothing its half-cut tongue. Erza saw this coming and cut it with lighting speed. Pieces of it rained down into the water and Erza proceeded attacking it. The overgrown fish used its thorns to protect itself. Unfortunately for it, Erza doesn't fall for the same trick twice. She gripped her sword tighter and let out a war cry, before giving the demon the last strike.

* * *

Bisuke blinked. He saw Erza charge at the demon, and there was a small splash a moment later. The demon seemed to be fine. Had Erza failed?

Haku whimpered beside him and he placed his paw on the boy's shoulder.

"I-is... Is it g-gone?" He stuttered.

"I don't know. It seemed to be—" As if on cue, the demon split into 3 pieces and disappeared into dust.

"Never mind. It's gone," Bisuke said.

"Where i-is she?" Haku asked. His voice was now louder as he slowly relaxed.

"I don't know..." Bisuke replied as he scanned the water once more. There was still no sign of her and Bisuke became more and more worried as each second passed. Different scenarios of her dying seeped through his mind, though he tried his best to push them away.

Suddenly Haku shrieked and grabbed Bisuke. Bisuke on the other hand was so tensed, he jumped and began to shriek because Haku was shrieking.

"What?! What's going on?!" Bisuke asked urgently, snapping his head from left to right. Haku pointed to the edge of the boat, or more precisely, to a hand that was grabbing the edge of the boat. Bisuke stared at the hand and approached it cautiously, when he caught a glimpse of red hair.

His worry quickly disappeared as he recognized the owner of the hand.

"Erza-san!" Bisuke shouted her name and rushed to her. She greeted him by giving him a weak smile as she climbed onto the boat, before her legs gave out and fell.

"You're hurt! We have to get you to a—" Erza held up her wounded hand and Bisuke silenced himself. I _haven't fought like this for some time... My body is still getting used to it._ Erza thought grimly. She looked at Bisuke and Haku again, who were clearly worried.

"I'm fine. Just some cuts," she said, trying to calm them down. "Now, let's go back, alright?"

Bisuke and Haku stiffened after they heard her sentence and they casted nervous glances. "Uh... Well about that..." Haku's words trailed off and Erza raised an eyebrow. She looked around trying to find the pedals but she found one only.

"Where is the other pedal?" She asked.

"Uh yeah... Well about that, Haku threw one away when the waves hit us. I was hoping we could go back by foot and you'd carry Haku since I'm too small," He said with a sheepish smile.

Erza blinked. "By foot?"

"Well yeah. You know, walk on the water?" Bisuke said, tilting his head slightly. When he saw that Erza had a blank expression on her face, he knew something was horribly wrong.

"I mean, you can, can't you?" Erza shook her head. Bisuke raised an eyebrow. She could summon weapons and change attire in a blink of an eye, but she couldn't walk on water? Surely, summoning jutsu is much harder and complicated than that.

"Uh... Okay how about this... I'll go back and asked them to pick you guys up. How's that?" Bisuke offered.

Erza nodded in agreement and Bisuke sprinted away. He didn't dare to look back, afraid that Erza would catch him. His gaze was fixed on the village but his mind was elsewhere. _Someone who could do the complicated, but she couldn't do the basics. That's just... Odd._

The same horrible feeling built itself in him as he tried to restrain his trust from crashing into the sea and disappear forever. It was going to be a long... Hard struggle.

* * *

Erza was patched all over. As soon as they arrived, she was greeted...much more than she expected. It seemed that demon was a lot more trouble than she thought.

The villagers offered to heal her, for free. One of them, also offered a room for her to rest, for free. Another one offered her enough food for 3 whole days, for free. She insisted to pay, but the villagers insisted back with much more force, saying that this was how they pay her back. And Erza reluctantly obliged.

Erza sat down on the queen-sized bed and observed the room she had just been given. There was a dresser across the bed, and a nightstand right beside the bed. There was a wooden desk next to the dresser, a perfect place for reading. A small door was at the corner of the room, which was probably the bathroom.

Bisuke was silently sitting on the floor right beside her. He casted a few nervous glances at Erza ever since they returned. She knew this would happen after her little performance earlier. The tension was building and if this continued, this would be bad for both of them.

So Erza decided to make the first move. She cleared her throat and turned to Bisuke with a grave expression.

"I know what you're thinking," Erza said. "Go on."

Like a bomb exploding, Bisuke threw a barrage of questions at her. There were so many she couldn't remember them all. Feeling a headache coming, she held up her hand again, silencing the dog.

"One by one, Bisuke."

"Uh.. Right sorry. I was just a little—uh never mind. You said, you're not a shinobi."

"That's because I'm not," Erza replied.

"Then how do explain what you did earlier?" Bisuke practically barked at her as anger suddenly erupted. He had witnessed everything and she still lied to her?! The dog glared at her while Erza merely stared back with blank eyes.

Erza knew why Bisuke and Pakkun were with her. They were assigned to keep an eye on her. If she didn't tell Bisuke the truth, suspicion would rouse. If she did tell him the truth, he might tell his superior. Erza sighed. The only reason why she was still here was because she hadn't done anything wrong. Though she doubt it would last long after what she did. _If only things are less complicated... _Erza thought.

Bisuke was still glaring at her and waiting for her answer. He trusted her. So she should be trusting him too, right? But... But there's just something inside her telling her not to do it...

"Bisuke..." Erza began. "I... I'll tell you, but just not now."

Bisuke just looked at her with an unreadable look. Gradually, his glare softened and he lowered his head.

"I understand..." He muttered. Erza stared at the dog with disbelief. Of all the responses he could give, he chose that.

"I respect your privacy," Bisuke said as he looked at Erza with a soft smile. "You'll tell me when the time's right anyways..."

"But there's just one thing I need to know. The incident earlier is real, right?"

Erza blinked, her lips curling up into a smile. "Do you really have to ask?"

"I just need to hear you say yes."

"Yes."

* * *

Sunlight pierced the curtains until it reached Titania's eyes. Realizing that morning had came, she slowly opened her eyes. She forced her body up, ready for a new day.

She grudgingly walked to the bathroom, took off her clothes, and turned the shower on. The warm water felt nice on her skin, relaxing her.

The conversation last night ended shortly, but it was enough. She was glad Bisuke trusted her, if not, she had no idea what to do with him.

She rubbed the lavender-scented soap on her skin, cleaning dirt on her body.

_I wonder what I'm going to do today...?_ She thought. Pakkun hadn't come back yet and she was getting tired of waiting. Sure she liked the village, but she needed to leave too, especially after the scene she caused last night.

The warm water washed off the soap and bubbles. She poured some of the shampoo onto the palms of her hand and washed her hair. A picture of the shop that sold weapons and armor appeared in her mind and she smiled. She'd definitely drop by there before leaving the village. There's no point hiding her skill from Bisuke anymore.

After making sure there was no trace of shampoo on her hair, she took a towel and wrap it around her body and turned to the mirror. She could see her reflection staring back at her.

_Now, about my Requip Magic..._

A puff of smoke covered her once more, and once it cleared, she was already in her Heart Kreuz Armor.

_So instead of light, smoke covered my body during the requip process?_ Erza thought, rubbing her chin with her finger. Another thing she noticed was that her usual Requip Magic seal, was missing as well.

_So... If I haven't been using magic, then what have I been using?_ She asked herself, raking her brain for any information. First of all, it had to be connected to this world. If she was not mistaking, this world used something called chakra, and they were somewhat similar too.

Erza concluded that this _chakra_ thing was responsible. She would've to ask Pakkun or Bisuke or maybe read some books to know more about it.

She stared at her reflection some more, mainly at the bruises. It would take some time until they healed.

Deciding that she had wasted enough time in the bathroom, Erza turned to the door and turned the door knob. _Time to leave._

* * *

** That's all for this chapter! Thank you everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed my story in the last chapter. Also special thanks to ninjatshadowcat who fixed my mistakes in this chapter and also Lenah (Guest), who pointed out my mistakes in the last 3 chapters! **

**I hope the battle scene's not so bad. Cause this is actually my weakness in writing a story ^_^. I know I made Erza weaker here, but it's only because she hadn't been fighting for at least 6 months, so her body is still gettingnused go the new changes. Another thing is, Erza's skill (swordmanship) wears out easily, same goes to other sports and skills such as, basketball, soccer, playing piano, etc. So I hope you guys understand. Though of course, she'll get strongef after this, that I can promise! ^~^**

**I've explained the difference of Erza's magic in the Elemental Nations, fir those of you who were wondering. If you have any more questions, you can always PM me! **

**Review Replies : **

**To BOBOBOBO : Thank you! I hope you like the battle scene! **

**To Forever-A-Guest : Really? Is it that good? Well thanks ^~^! Ninkens are cute! I really love them too! There's not much difference in he magic actually, just the process. I've explained it in the last part of this chapter. But if you still have any questions, feel free to ask me! About what will happen to Erza, well we'll have to see what happen next! Thanks for the suggestion though and I'll think about it! **

**To Lenah : Thanks! For both reviewing AND pointing out my mistakes ^_^! And no, I don't think it's a flame. I'm actually glad someone could point them out, and it happens to be you! Also, thanks for the suggestions, and I'll think about it! Again, thank you so much! **

**To GummyBears : First of all, thank you for reviewing! Second of all, I'll try to update this story during weekends, though I don't promise anything. Things... Can happen. But of course, I'll tey my best to update asap, for the sake of my readers. Again, thanks! **

**Thanks for reading this chapter and please review! **


	5. Chapter 5 - A New Hope

**Episode 5 - A New Hope**

**Disclaimer : I don't own Fairy Tail nor Naruto.**

* * *

"Are you sure you have to leave?"

"Yes." Erza replied without glancing back at the chief of the village. Bisuke was trailing behind them, watching the conversation with an amused smile. Feeling slightly guilty for ignoring him too much, she turned around to face the chief, who nearly stumbled on her.

"I appreciate your kindness, sir, but I have things to do," Erza said, bowing. Apparently, the whole village thought that she would stay here forever and be their heroine. Too bad Erza had to disagree.

"Ah... I see," He said with a smile, though Erza didn't miss the small hint of disappointment in his voice. "Well, feel free to visit and stay here as long as you like."

"Of course," Erza replied. Erza turned around and started walking away from the village when the man's voice stopped her again. A stubborn one... Really, she couldn't understand what was the point of keeping her here except for wasting the town's resources.

"Eh... Where are you going anyway? You seem like in a hurry."

"Kyoma." Erza answered shortly.

"I see. It's not that far from here. Perhaps you would like one of us to escort you?" He offered, his hands clasped together like a lunatic plotting something evil.

"Thank you but the two of us would be fine," Erza replied, giving the man an apologetic smile before proceeding to get away as soon as possible.

"I see. Well good luck and please be careful!" The man's voice was softer now that Erza had made a distance. She made a gesture, sending a mute goodbye to him.

"You don't like to be... Highly praised?" It was the first time Bisuke spoke all noon.

"I do. But I think this is a little bit too much." Bisuke stiffled.

"So, why do you wanna go there?"

"I heard there's a big library there," Erza replied. There was another reason, but Erza decided not to tell him yet. He'd know soon enough.

"Mmm? Really? I bet Konoha's bigger. Why'd you choose this one?"

"It's the closest From the Fire Country...And... I'm not really comfortable going there..." _Sen._

I see..." Bisuke didn't press further. He knew he was bringing up... Bad memories. Because of his current mission, he knew what those bad memories are... Maybe. Erza wasn't lying about the graves and the merchant daughter's death. Both of their names were registered in the hospital. This much, they had confirmed and certainly had succeeded to lessen the suspicion. He just hoped the report he sent last night wouldn't change much.

Bisuke talked when it was necessary and was mostly about directions. Erza listened carefully and memorized some landmarks that would be useful when she traveled alone. Other than that, the journey was rather quiet.

Erza used the silence to sort out things she already knew. It would occupy her mind and that meant not remembering certain things. She was in the middle of repeating the process of photosynthesis for the third time when Bisuke's voice snapped her out of the world of botany.

"What?" She blurted out. Clearly she had missed everything Bisuke just said.

The dog jerked his head forward, gesturing the _thing_ he wanted to show. Erza silently stepped next to the dog and peeked.

Turns out they were standing on the edge of a cliff with a river flowing down below. She could see land right across it, but the thing that caught her attention were the logs that connected them. Erza quickly understood.

"So we have to cross this?" Bisuke nodded.

"I though you wanted to arrive there as soon as possible. So I chose the fastest route," he explained.

Erza nodded in understanding but didn't step forward.

Why use logs instead of bridges? Surely bridges were safer for both ninja and civilians. Maybe it was their culture?

"Are you afraid of heights?"

"No," Erza responded automatically. That was not the reason.

"Then come on! Let's g-" Bisuke's eyes widened in alarm, his head turning from left to right. Erza quickly crept down and hid behind some bushes, "What is it?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Someone's coming and it's-" Something swooped in the air, passing them. Erza curiously peeked up and saw three men. One was flying on some kind of white bird and the other two, jumping from logs to logs as easy as jumping over puddles. And then she saw it.

"We should really get out of here!" Bisuke said, but Erza didn't hear him. There was only one thing on her mind.

Anima.

The one who casted it was definitely among those two men... From Konoha.

The blonde man that was riding the bird was being sucked into some kind of hole. The air around him looked twisted as if space itself became distorted. He swerved in the air trying to avoid it, but failed miserably. It caught up to him.

And it came to her. She could go back. She could go home. To Magnolia. To Fairy Tail. Even though this anima was much much smaller compared to the one she used, it was still the anima.

All kinds of feelings rushed into her and mixed into something she couldn't name. Her gaze was locked on the hole, ignoring everything else in the world.

Bisuke, however, was in his panic mode. He was trying to get the red-haired attention, but she didn't seem to hear him, as if he was talking to a dead statue. Suddenly, he felt chakra flare near him. Bisuke spun around and found himself facing with a small white... Bug? Bisuke raised an eyebrow. He could still feel chakra flaring from it... And it was getting bigger and bigger and—

Bisuke pushed Erza away in the nick of time, barely avoiding the explosion. This seemed to wake her up as her eyes stared at the spot, er... Hole on the ground she was standing on a few seconds ago.

Erza's legs sprinted away, before she could even register what had happened. There was danger, and it was enough to tell her legs to move. Pushing pass bushes and trees, she arrived in a small clearing. Slightly panting, she looked around, trying to find her companion, but failed. Had she left him? Oh no—

"Uh... Can you put me down now?" Bisuke was somehow in her arms and gave her the 'I'm an élite ninja hound, I could run by myself and you just ripped my dignity right off me' look. No wonder she felt something soft tickling her skin.

Erza released her grip and he landed on his feet.

"You're... You're not hurt, are you?" He asked with uncertainty while inspecting her for any injuries.

"I'm fine," Erza replied, giving him a smile.

"We should go... It's not... Safe here..." He said quietly as though he felt guilty for endangering her. Erza nodded and followed him as he walked away.

"Who are they?" She asked.

"Shinobi," Bisuke replied, glancing back at her.

"From Konoha?"

"Yeah."

"Do you... Know them?" Erza asked again. If she were to ask their help, she would need to know more.

"...Yeah. They're pretty well-known in the village, so it's kind of hard to miss them." Especially since one of them is his summoner. "Ever heard of the Copy Ninja?" Erza shook her head.

"Oh. Well he's got name everywhere, feared by other countries."

"They seemed strong," Erza commented dryly.

"Oh yes. Very. I dare say they're one of the strongest shinobi ever produced in the fire country," He said proudly.

"I see..." Was the only reply.

"There you are." Both of them halted in their tracks and turned around, preparing themselves for an ambush.

A small brown pug strolled out of the bush, bored eyes staring at them. "Been looking for you..." He said with a lazy tone.

"Pakkun!" Bisuke said, walking towards the pug.

"Where have you two been? The villagers said you both left a few hours ago."

"You'll know soon enough," Bisuke said. Pakkun nodded, catching the hidden message.

Bisuke then turned to Erza with a sad smile.

"I guess this is goodbye..." He said. Erza blinked. He was leaving already? They just met yesterday!

"I-I see... Well it's been nice hanging out with you, Bisuke." She really didn't know what to say.

"You too. I hope we meet again soon. Take care Erza!" He lifted his right paw and vanished. Just like that. Vanished.

Her gaze lingered at the spot where he used to be. It was odd. They met yesterday, but it felt like they had been friends for years. And she missed him already.

_Bisuke's a wonderful friend,_ Erza thought.

Finally, Erza turned to Pakkun, who was waiting for her. "Let's go."

* * *

Kyoma was much larger than the Floating Village. Everything here was also more modern :the buildings, the culture, the people, etc. Though if you compared this to Konoha, it was like an ant compared to an elephant.

They arrived there somewhere between 2-3 o'clock in the afternoon and were hungry, well mostly Pakkun. Erza chose a rather cheap restaurant to eat lunch. Pakkun didn't protest because he knew Erza was paying.

Lunch was short. They left the restaurant as soon as they finished eating. Erza then told him about a guy named Basho and that she was looking for him.

"He's... an acquaintance," She said when Pakkun asked.

They went asking the villagers and fortunately, an old woman knew him. She happily told them his addres and Erza went straight to his house.

_'She's nervous,'_ noted Pakkun as he glanced at the woman walking beside him.

Erza was sweating. Her fingers fidgeting with the cloth of her blue skirt. Her gait was slightly different, a little bit weak and clumsy.

_What's she nervous for?_ Pakkun pondered at the question.

Erza didn't state the purpose of her going here (she told Bisuke but not Pakkun), though she did say she was from here. Perhaps she had issues with this 'Basho' guy? He thought, raking his brain for any other information.

They were nearing the area of his house when all dots connected.

She was telling the victims' relative about their death.

Pakkun looked at her with a scowl. Erza caught him looking at her, but didn't say anything. She knew that he knew.

They turned the last corner and faced themselves with a medium built house. Beautiful yellow dandelions decorated the garden. A rocking chair made of polished mahogany stood unmoving on the fromt porch.

Erza climbed the stairs slowly, the floor creaked as it supported her weight. She took another step and another and another and stopped in front of the white painted door.

Pakkun watched as her hand clenched into a fist and shakily made its way to the surface of the door when he stopped her.

"You know you don't have to do this."

"Yes. Yes I do. He deserves to know," Erza replied, her hand inched closer.

"He does, but let the police do it."

"It's the least I could do." She deadpanned and before Pakkun could protest, she knocked the door. Once...Twice...Three times... And waited.

Pakkun shifted uncomfortably as he stared at the door that could open in any second. He never like emotional things. Especially _this_ thing. He'd ever done this a few times, and he barely escaped the first one without a tear. It was hard seeing them cry and mourn for their deaths. It reminded him of losing people dear to him, which was not a good thing to ponder about. So he always avoided things like these.

A few seconds later, his keen ears picked up soft footsteps coming from inside and stopped his train of thoughts. Both of them held their breath as the door creaked open.

Well the man was clearly not the friendliest. He didn't even open the door and greeted them like any normal people. Instead, he just left a small opening, enough to see only half of his face. He was slightly taller than Erza, his hair was gray, old gray, not like Kakashi's gray. He also had a moustache right under his nose.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Basho ?"

The addressed man tensed hearing his own name. Pakkun saw something glint behind his back... Was that a knife or something? Uh oh...

"Who are you?" He asked in a very dangerous tone, yet Erza didn't seem to be afraid.

"Erza, sir. Erza Scarlet." Hearing this, the man's expression changed completely. Pakkun backed away just in time as the door slammed open and he noticed that both of his hands were vacant. Sneaky. Sneaky indeed.

"Ah! It's finally nice to meet you in person!" He said, offering a welcoming hug. Erza, who didn't know how to react, returned the hug.

"Tohiro talked a lot about you in his letters."

"Ah did he?" Erza expertly hid her breakdown.

"Let me show you those letters. Ah— speaking of him, where is he? And the others?" He asked, glancing over Erza's shoulder.

"About that—"

"She wants to discuss something inside," Pakkun who was silently watching the conversation finally spoke. For a second there, his expression changed. Not a surprised expression. Instead, it looked like he was expecting it.

"Oh yes! Of course. How could have I forgotten my manners! Come!" He chuckled and ushered them inside. Erza sent the ninken a thankful look before following the old man.

They had never seen so much wood before in their life. The floor was wood, the walls were wood, the furniture was wood. Pakkun even wondered what would happen if termites found this place.

Basho excused himself to get some tea for them while they patiently waited in the living room. Erza sat on the sofa, while Pakkun sat on the floor.

Staring at the table, she tried to think of a good way to tell the... Bad news. She knew telling someone that his relatives died wasn't easy. But at least she had to try.

_'Mr Basho, your whole family was killed.' _No no no... That was too direct.

Different scenarios ran through her head and she mentally groaned after deciding that none of them were good. Maybe she should have listened to Pakkun and go back. But she couldn't turn her back now, could she?

Basho returned shortly with a pot of tea and a tray with cups in his hands. He gently poured some into 2 cups, one for her and one for himself. Erza gratefully received it, hoping the tea would soothe her mind.

"So, where are the others?" He asked, sitting across her.

"They're not here," Erza replied as she put down the half-empty cup.

Basho raised an eyebrow. "What brought you here then? Don't tell me Tohiro forgot something and asked you to come here and get it." He sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "He's very forgetful sometimes, even when he's already an adult—"

"Ah no! That's not it!" Erza automatically defended his name.

"Then what is it?" He asked. Erza sighed and composed herself. This is it. Just let it flow, Erza. You can do it...

"Mr Basho..." She began.

"Please, call me Basho," He said.

"Basho..." She said it rather reluctantly. She had never called her seniors using their first names. "Something happened during our travel."

Sensing the bad news he was about to hear, he frowned. "Go on... What happened, Erza?"

"We were attacked by bandits." Erza's voice cracked in the middle of the sentence. Basho frowned deepened, as the tensions rose into an even higher degree. Even Pakkun chose to look away.

Fighting the urge to cry, Erza spoke again.

"Everyone died."

* * *

Pakkun stared at the door knob that was mutely mocking him.

Turning a door knob was easy. Very easy.

But not if the door knob is 4 times higher than him.

_Surely I've done something 10 times harder than this._ He mused.

He jumped again, front paws grabbing the knob. But then, they would innocently slip off before the door opened.

_Now this is just ridiculous..._

He could ask Basho for help. But that would mean interrupting his mental recovery. Yes, the senile old man was having a mental breakdown. And knocking the door of his room was the last thing he wanted to do.

A few hours ago, Erza excused herself to go to the library. Putting his trust on her, he let her go. She easily slipped away and now Pakkun was about to do the same thing.

Perhaps paws weren't the perfect way to hold slippery things. Perhaps he could use something else. Like...like...like... Oh dear...

Pakkun sighed loudly and stared at the door knob that was invisibly smirking.

"I hate you..." And he jumped, opened his mouth and bit the door knob. Ha! ...but his upper jaw was starting to ache. Pakkun titled his head to the right and...Click! He released it as the door creaked open.

Pakku walked away with a victorious smile, not even bothering to close the door properly. He then used his nose to track down Erza's scent. Finding her wasn't hard and he soon spotted the library.

The scent of books and papers ambushed him as he entered the library. Wrinkling his nose, he walked pass by the librarian, who was completely oblivious to his presence.

Giant bookshelves occupied the library, scrolls and books of all sizes and colors filled each gap. Of course, they were divided into sections to make it easier for the readers to find the book they were looking. Medical, history, geography, astronomy... Pakkun stopped when he saw Erza sitting on the floor cross-legged. Unrolled scrolls and opened books laid on the floor, taking a shape of a semi-circle, and the person in the middle of it was scribbling something in a book.

"Well someone's been busy," he commented dryly. Recognizing his voice, Erza looked up from her book and looked at him with a straight face.

"Oh. It's you." She said and resumed her work. Pakkun approached her with curiosity and glanced at one of the books. It was a 300 hundred paged book about chakra. Boring. He turned his head to the right and read a scroll about ninjutsu, and he caught the word _Clones _somewhere in it. Clones? Something clicked inside his head and he silently cursed for not getting the idea sooner. He could nave used _clones_ instead of his _mouth_. Why didn't he get that idea sooner? He sighed and tried to forget his stupidity by averting his attention back to the books.

Circling her, he glanced at some the books and scrolls. _History of The Elemental Nations, Legends of The Shinobi World, Horror of The Shinobi War, 100 Different Ways to Manipulate Chakra,_Pakkun didn't bother to read the rest.

"What do you need this for?"

"Research." She stated.

"Hn. Didn't know you like stuffs like this." Erza sighed and finally closed the book. "What time is it?" She asked, grabbing the books one by one and stacked them up.

"About a quarter to six..." Erza blinked in surprise. "It's been that long?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yes, that long. Almost 4 hours." Erza didn't say anything and carried the books and scrolls in her hands. She gave them to the librarian, who only groaned after noticing the pile and left.

They directly went home and found Basho in the kitchen, staring into empty air. Knowing that he was still recovering, Erza kindly offered to make them dinner. Grabbing some ingredients from the refrigerator she carefully cooked dinner, making sure she wouldn't break anything. She managed to make a simple dinner, but a very good one too.

Dinner was quiet. Basho didn't talk and Erza didn't bother trying. Pakkun, as usual, ate his dinner silently on the floor.

"There's a spare room upstairs," Basho said after they finished dinner. Understanding what he meant, Erza nodded and send a thank you to the man. Basho merely nodded, giving her a weak smile and went to his own room.

"How long do you think he'll...?"

Pakkun shrugged. "I don't know... Depends on what kind of guy he is," Pakkun said. Erza nodded in understanding and changed into her pajamas. The normal way. After brushing her teeth in the bathroom, she slipped herself under the warm blankets and rested her slightly heavy head on the pillow.

"Good night, Pakkun." Erza said, turning off the lights.

"Night." He said softly, probably sleepy.

And she let herself fell into deep slumber.

* * *

**Alright that's all for this chapter guys! I hope you like it!**

**I'm so sorry for the late updates. School's already killing me in the first week. S many homework and tests X_X. I also have 2 other stories to take care of so...yeah. I will try to update every 2 weeks, starting from now, though I will try to finish each chapter as fast as possible. **

**Also, I would like to inform you that I will be away, starting from tomorrow until 17th August so there will be no updates during that time. I'm going on a vacation you see. **

**Next, thank you for EVERYONE who reviewed, favorited, and followed my stories in the last chapter. You guys are AWESOME! Special thanks to ninjatshadowcat who edited this chapter for me! **

**to Guest : Thank you! I'm glad you like it! I thought I screwed up in that part but I guess I was wrong. Again, thanks! **

**to Lenah : Big thanks for reviewing both this chapter and the last one! I luv you so much! Anyway, let me answer your questions one by one. Firstly, no she will not meet up with anyone else. Not yet, but she will. I also mentioned about Bisuke sending a report, which was still on the way that time. I plan to explain it in the next chapter so...yeah. Secondly, the purpose of her going here... Which will also be in the next chapter! Hehehe... Just be patient and you'll see the big surprise! Though maybe you can guess what would happen next after their meeting with Basho? **

**to Shiori Yoshida : Firstly, thank you for reviewing the last chapter! And regarding your question, I'll think about it. Besides, she just knew about it so yeah... Anyway, thanks a lot! **

**to GummyBears : Erza is always awesome! She's the best and scariest bad*ss in the world! GO ERZA! (I'm crazy sometimes). Ehem... Anyways, thank you for reviewing the last chapter too. Thank you SO MUCH! And, ERZA WILL BE STRONGER! Definitely! If not, then I'll be running and screaming away from you like a madman. Which will not happen! Hehehe... ^~^**

**toForever-A-Guest : Thank you so much for the review! They mean a lot to me! Yes, I completely understand. Before I made an account, it was always hard for me to follow stories I like. So I made one! And then I started making stories and stuffs. And... her requip magic in the anime is different from the manga? I did not know that... Yes, I based this on the anime. You can see the process in the, if I'm not mistaking, the Fairy Tail wikia. You just need to look her up. And I think the next chapter can explain your questions. I think. Just be patient! And again, thanks! ^~^**

**Huft~ Okay that's enough for now. And, I'll see you guys next... Next... I don't know ^.^. Well definitely more than 2 weeks... Bah! Forget It. I'll definitely type the draft of the next chapter in my phone first or something. I feel bad for not updating that long... **

**Please leave a review! Please please please! REVIEWS! **


	6. Chapter 6 - Doubts

**Chapter 6 - Doubts**

**Disclaimer : I don't own Fairy Tail and Naruto**

* * *

The first thing he heard when he woke up was knocks. Bloody loud knocks.

Not even bothering to check, Pakkun rolled into a more comfortable position.

The knocks were getting louder ans violent and this time, it was followed by his name.

"Pakkun...Oi! Wake up!"

This certain someone's voice sent adrenaline to his body and he jolted up in an instant, bloodshot eyes scanning the room. There, standing on the windowstill was a small figure, brown eyes glimmering under the moonlight. Figures he'd come like this...

Even though he was a ninken, trained to be prepared anytime, anywhere, he still had to rest... especially when Gai managed to turn a one-and-a-half-day travel into a half-a-day travel.

Pakkun grudgingly walked to him while silently blaming Bisuke for waking him up in the middle of the night like this. After glancing at the red-head and making sure that she was still asleep, Pakkun jumped onto the table that was right under the window.

"You could've picked a better time." Pakkun grumbled. Bisuke gave him a mischievous grin. He was completely aware of this. Yet, he still did it.

"You know this is necessary," he said. Pakkun snorted.

"Make it quick." The annoyance was obvious in his voice.

"Can't you let me in first?" Bisuke said instead.

"Can't reach the handle." Lies. He just wanted payback.

Hearing this, Bisuke gave him an incredulous look before saying, "Now you're enjoying this a little too much."

For a moment there, Pakkun smirked for a semi-second before it disappeared. "Yeah."

"Oh c'mon Pakkun..."

"No."

"It's cold out here... I mean, what would you do if you were me?"

"Stay outside and enjoy the cold night breeze." Pakkun retorted.

"Oh really?"

"Really," Pakkun replied monotously. A rather loud yawn escaped his mouth, reminding him of why Bisuke was here. "Now what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

Bisuke slumped down in defeat, sighing all the way. "I'm gonna get you for this." A silence covered them, save for the sound of Pakkun impatiently taping his foot against the wooden table.

"Hokage-sama says to return to Konoha as soon as possible," said Bisuke. Pakkun blinked at him in disbelief before saying, "Are you sure?"

Last time Tsunade wanted him to follow Erza, now she wanted him to return? Perhaps the window glass that was separating them muffled his voice? Yeah, that must be it.

"Yes." And to emphasis his answer, Bisuke nodded.

The newest Hokage was not the type of person who changed her mind as easy as changing clothes. No, she was the type of person who stood by her beliefs and fight whoever disagreed, especially the council. So what made her change her mind?

"Because the victim came from the River country, Hokage-sama had no choice but to discuss the matter with the River's ambassador. He wants the case to be closed and Erza to be returned to the River Country—which we have done.

"Our intel has confirmed that bandits did kill the victim. Their murder weapon and the victims' wound match. And since Erza killed the bandits out of self defense, Konoha has no rights to keep her under our watch." Bisuke explained.

"But what about the spy—"

"The Hokage also says that she does not want to be in the River's Country wrong side, so she wouldn't waste a small case like this if it would trigger war." He continued and then stopped abruptly. "Now how did she say the last part?" He scrunched his face as if he was thinking and then opened his eyes to look at Pakkun, his face beaming.

"Ah yes—" Bisuke cleared his throat and suddenly hit the window glass with a strength that he shouldn't have. Pakkun automatically glanced over his shoulder and was relieved that the red head was still sleeping before turning back to glare at his his fried. Bisuke on the other hand had started his act.

"I can't do anything when those stupid ambassadors are in high alert. Retreat for now until I make sure it's safe for now. So GET HIM BACK HERE BEFORE HE SCREWS UP!"

Pakkun's stomach churned violently as he tried to to stifle his laughter as much as he possible, even though some of them came out as rough coughs. Bisuke was definitely not a good actor. Tsunade's voice came out too girly to be hers and instead of being serious, he just wanted to roll on the floor laughing.

"How's that?"

"Horrible." Pakkun shook his head furiously.

"Mmm... Exactly." Bisuke said despite knowing that he was insulting himself. Sometimes, Pakkun just couldn't understand this friend's antics.

"I'll leave early in the morning." The pug said after much consideration. He couldn't just leave Erza without telling after what had happened yesterday. The expressions of their faces when Erza told Basho about the accident were still fresh in his memory. And they were horrifying.

How Basho's expression turned from shocked to sadness then to grief in one second and how Erza's face was wet from the amount of warm thick tears that was rolling down her face constantly. Recalling the families he'd seen when they were told, Pakkun concluded that every single one's reaction was the same as this. Tears, sadness, shocked, guilt... It was always the same thing over and over again.

But this one was felt different.

This one felt so much real as if it was his own relatives who died. And suddenly, his years of experience disappeared and he let a tear rolled down his cheek. It was the first time he cried for years.

A soft yet desperate moan came from behind him and Pakkun instinctively turned around. The girl was twitching terribly and muttering inaudible words. Something glimmered under the moonlit as it rolled down her cheek and he realized that Erza was crying in her sleep.

So she has that too...

Pakkun really wanted to wake her up, but if she wanted the nightmares go be gone, she had to deal with it herself. When the pug turned around, he saw his friend watching her with concern. A frown was planted on his face and it deepened when he saw the tears.

"Take care of her Pakkun..." Bisuke said finally as he turned around to face the silent street of Kyoma, preparing to leave.

"Yeah..."

Bisuke was about to jumped when he suddenly tensed and looked over his shoulder, with a pleading expression. "And also..." He began, hesitating here and there. "Be careful, Pakkun. She's... she's hiding something big." And with that, he vanished.

Pakkun just blinked at his friend's warning, wondering what he could possibly mean. What secret, so big, could possibly be hidden by a merchant? Making a mental note to ask him later, Pakkun jumped of the table quietly, not wanting to wake up the sleeping beauty.

It was then Pakkun realized how dark the room was...except for one spot, Erza's bed and Erza herself. The moonlight somehow managed to illuminate her, and her only. If this was a play, Pakkun wondered, that would make Erza the main character, the spotlight of the show. And he, he was just one of many other characters that would soon be introduced in the play.

The oddity of this world...

Pakkun sighed and lied his head on the cold wooden floor, but his eyes gazed at the window that seemed to be shining. The sky was void of clouds and the full moon was shining brightly. Tiny twinkling stars accompanied their lunar friend, making the sky look more and more breathtaking.

A yawn escaped his lips, reminding his body that was lacking of sleep. Closing his eyes tiredly, Pakkun breathed in the scent of wood.

Whatever trouble he was getting into, he'd deal with it later...

* * *

Erza was thinking hard.

Honestly, she had no idea what yo do after seeing the anima. Normal people would certainly go after the caster and asked for help. She would do the same thing... but the fact that the caster came from Konoha stopped her and sent her thinking. She left Konoha for a reason and going back there seemed to be very insulting.

If only they came from somewhere else... Even if that somewhere else was in the end of the world, she'd go. Even if she had to face deadly monsters that could easily kill her, she'd go. There were so many coties, so many countries, and yet, it was still Konoha.

It was always, Konoha.

The smell of burning food brought her eyes down to the omelet she was frying. Black angry smoke started to emit from it. It was burning. Oh no.

Erza quickly flipped it over with the spatula she had borrowed and then hastily moved to an empty plate. The yellow edges had already turned into black angry curls, though most of it was still fine.

Deciding that she'd eat this one and make more for Pakkun and Basho, she opened the refrigerator. Her hands flew to grab the eggs and vegetables that were still good. Her strong hands easily cracked the egg shells open and she poured the insides into two separate bowls. One for Pakkun, one for Basho.

Her hands moved again, this time to a drawer and grabbed two knifes, one in each hand and she was unconsciously cutting the vegetables in a fixed size.

Setting aside the cut vegetables, she pictured the two shinobi. The first one... Her eyebrows knitted together, indicating that she was thinking.

A blond haired man. Wearing an yellow jumpsuit, or perhaps it was orange? The second one had silver hair and wearing those uniforms she saw when she was in Konoha. And somehow... they looked very familiar. Perhaps she had accidently stumbled upon them when she was there.

"I thought I smelled something burn. Is everything okay?" Erza turned her head towards the source of the voice.

"Everything's fine," Erza replied. Pakkun's sudden interruption reminded her of the burned omelet she had made earlier and she focused on the omelets she was making again. The pug then strolled lazily to the kitchen table and patiently waited for breakfast to be served.

"How is he?" Erza asked after remembering the other resident living in this house.

Pakkun shrugged. "Saw him outside some time ago."

And indeed he was right. After finished preparing breakfast, Erza peeked through the kitchen window to find the said man staring blankly into the empty air. There was a golden wristwatch on his hand and a picture frame in his other one. She couldn't see it, though she guessed it was a picture of his dear family.

He missed them.

He wanted them to come back. At least, just to say goodbye.

But no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't grant his wish. What he was asking, was the impossible.

Thinking that she should tell him that breakfast is ready, Erza's hand reached for the door handle, but was stopped when Pakkun suddenly stepped between them.

"Don't." He mutely told her. Quickly understanding the reason, she complied, her hand dropping to her side. She just hoped he wouldn't stay outside for too long. He needed to eat too.

Pakkun then ushered her to the kitchen, an unreadable look on his face. Sensing that he wanted to talk to her about something important, Erza followed suit.

"I need to leave for a mission," Pakkun lied easily as she sat down.

"I see... What is it about if I may know?"

"I need to accompany someone in tracking a wanted criminal. He was sighted recently." Oh yes, he'd prepared for this.

"Alright, but eat breakfast first."

Smiling contently at the thought of being given free food again, he replied, "Will do."

It was then the main door creaked open, gaining both's attention as Basho stepped in. Peeking through the opened kitchen door, Erza watched him place the picture desk on a desk, while his other hand slipped into a drawer, stowing the watch. His eyes lingered on the faces of the people that were printed on it, his thumb rubbing each of their faces before he turned to the kitchen and walked in.

"Good morning," Erza greeted.

"Good morning," he greeted back. His gaze then tore from her and landed on the omelets hat had been prepared.

"Oh my, how long have I kept you waiting?"

"It's alright," Erza quickly said. "I've just finished preparing anyway."

"Ah... That's good to hear." Basho sat down on the chair exactly across from her and that was when the non-existent barrier that was protecting the omelets disappeared and they started eating.

"So..." Erza began. "What do you do, Basho?" She asked. The said man was much more cheerful than yesterday and she was grateful for that. Living with a stressed person was not exactly healthy.

"I'm a carpenter," He said, cutting down the omelet into tiny pieces. "But I've been idle lately. My age is catching up on me." He plopped a piece into his mouth and chewed it slowly, tasting evey single spot with his taste buds.

"Mmm... This is good." He complimented. Erza smiled appreciatively and continued to eat in silence, lost in thoughts.

"I think today is a good day to get back to work. Would you like to come?" He kindly offered.

Erza, whose mind had zoned out for a certain reason, just stared at him like he'd grown another head. It took her exactly 3 seconds later for the message to sink in and she muttered a hasty 'Yes', cheek turning the same color as her hair due to embarrassment.

Basho just chuckled, then put his empty plate into the dishwasher, and went to his room to prepare the necessary equipments. Erza kneeled down to take Pakkun's plate and then put both of their plates into dishwasher while the dog stood up and walked to the porch. Her finger turned the machine on in one swift motion before following him outside.

The cold morning breeze greeted them as soon as they took a step out. The soft breeze blew her scarlet hair gently, making it look like blood-red waves. The morning street was oddly quiet. The usual morning throng was gone, and was instead replaced by a few children playing a game.

"I'll be going now," Pakkun said.

"Be careful."

**"Be careful,Pakkun."** Having to hear that same warning twice that day, he frowned as the memory of his conversation with Bisuke played in his head.

"Of course." He said. "You too." And with that he dashed out of the house, leaving her for who knows how long.

* * *

**Hi guys! Long tome no see! And wow it's been a month—SO SORRY ABOUT THAT! **

**School's been very very busy and I have little time to write. I always sleep late and wake up early in the morning and I swear if this keeps on, I'll break down for sure. I'll try to manage my time next time. **

**Ehem. Back to the story. So sorry if this chapter is so short. There's supposed to be one more scene but I really want to post this asap. **

**And for some of you who's wondering, the jutsu that Kakashi used was his kamui, not an anima. Therefore, Erza's lead is false. But she doesn't know that. I know some authors use this to connect both worlds, but no I will not use it. I'm trying something new. Next cha. Will be humorous so look forward to it!**

**Well, that's all I guess! Thanks for the reviews, favs, and follows from the last chappy! **

**AND DON't FORGET TO REVIEW THIS ONE! **


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